How/When to ask for LORs

[WebbsInferno]

Hi!, this'll be a bit specific to my situation. So, I want to apply to a Chemistry PhD program and I am going through my head on who to ask. I've come down to three people (all academia, 2 in chemistry 1 in forensics) who know me well. I was wondering how exactly I go about asking them for LORs. I don't live in the same state anymore so I can't meet with them in person (moved from CA to UT) but i've been keeping up with them periodically since I moved (about a year). They don't know I'm applying yet. The 2 from chemistry I actually know because  they WANTED me to do a PhD at the time but it didn't "feel" right at the time, if that makes any sense so I respectfully turned it down. Now, I've been in my field for a year and I'm more sure of myself and where I want to go with my career.

 

How and when should I go about asking them? Thanks guys!

 

Oh and would it be bad to ask non-acedmia people? I have a few others in mind (supervisors, former people I used to intern with, non Phd,  etc.) but I don't think it'll hold as much weight as the top 3

[velua]

Ph.D.s are better, ask them by email. If you were close to them, I'd say just ask to set up a time to talk about grad school, then ask in person.

 

Either ask now or early in the fall. Professors are horrible about responding to email, and their inboxes during the summer will likely be a black hole.

Edited May 1, 2015 by velua